Let me begin by thanking everyone for attending this afternoon. Our presence
signifies our understanding of and commitment to one another, and to those
we call our brothers and sisters.

A hero is generally defined as a person who performs an act of bravery,
often at the risk of personal injury. Clearly, those to whom we presented
the Medal of Merit today should be considered heroes. All acted with little
regard for their own safety when they came to the aid of others.

But what about those who lost their lives while simply performing their
assigned agency tasks? Should they not also be called heroes?

Every day thousands of correctional professionals enter our institutions
and provide security, medical services, program treatment and dozens of
other critical direct and indirect services required to operate a correctional
facility. Few speak of the inherent risks posed by such work, yet the concern
is never far from their thoughts - or from the thoughts of their loved ones
at home.

Our presence here today is meant to give voice to those unspoken thoughts.
It is a time not only to recognize the past, but also to acknowledge the
present. It is a time for us to honor one another and to accept that which
is asked of us each day.

Every one of us has a role to play within the Department, yet none of us
can do our job without the assistance and support of one another. Some may
talk about teamwork as a concept but we practice it every day - especially
during times of emergency.

One of our purposes here today is to reflect upon the ultimate sacrifices
made by our fellow team members who lost their lives in the line of duty.
We all owe a debt of gratitude to our fallen co-workers for their commitment
to this Department. Recognizing them as heroes is our way of staying connected
to them as we continue their commitment to our correctional system.

Our other purpose today is to applaud the personal efforts of seven outstanding
employees who are examples of what it means to be a correctional employee
and hero.

These extraordinary individuals went beyond the call of duty, risking their
own safety to help citizens in the community. All used the skills they learned
and honed working in a correctional facility to make a profound difference
in the lives of those who had no direct connection to our prison system.

What today’s medal recipients demonstrated is the spirit of dedication,
professionalism and selflessness that makes our correctional system among
the safest in the nation.

While the acts of heroism we honor today occurred outside prison perimeters,
they resulted from the qualities that define correctional employees: courage,
skill and a sense of moral obligation to do what must be done to maintain
safety.

We count on employees like our medal recipients every day to keep order
and security under potentially dangerous conditions. It is a credit to all
correctional employees that our prisons continue to operate safely, but
we must remain vigilant; the 35 fallen heroes we honor today demand that
of us.

As we go forward, we must remain steadfast in our commitment and professionalism,
and we must never forget the lessons demonstrated by all the heroes we acknowledge
today.

In the words of John F. Kennedy, “As we express our gratitude, we
must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but
to live by them.”